SSO Chamber Series: The Glory of Baroque

THE Y R O L G OF

BAROQUE

18 & 19 May 2018

VICTORIA CONCERT HALL

18 MAY Peter Hanson, violin / conductor Felicia Teo, soprano Musicians of the SSO Yang Zheng Yi, artistic administrator

GIOVANNI GABRIELI Canzon XVI à 12, Ch.209 5’00 HEINRICH IGNAZ FRANZ VON BIBER Battalia à 10 “Battle Symphony” 8’00 ALESSANDRO STRADELLA Overture to La forza delle stelle 6’00 HENRY PURCELL Chacony in G minor, Z.730 7’00 Intermission 20’00 GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL From Messiah 11’00 “Rejoice greatly” “Then shall the eyes of the blind” “He shall feed his flock” Felicia Teo, soprano

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL “Tornami a vagheggiar” from Alcina 10’00 Felicia Teo, soprano

ANTONIO VIVALDI Concerto for Two Violins in A minor, RV.522 12’00 Ye Lin, violin 1 Xu Jue Yi, violin 2

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Concerto Grosso in G major, Op. 6 No. 1 12’00 Michael Loh, violin 2 Guo Hao, cello

There will be a post-concert autograph session at the stalls foyer.

19 MAY Peter Hanson, violin / conductor Musicians of the SSO Yang Zheng Yi, artistic administrator

ANTONIO VIVALDI Concerto for Strings in G minor, RV.157 8’00 ARCANGELO CORELLI Concerto Grosso in D major, Op. 6 No. 1 12’00 Kong Zhao Hui, violin 2 Wang Zihao, cello

JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU “Entrée de Polymnie” from Les Boréades 6’00 “Entrée: Les Sauvages” and “Tendre Amour” from Les Indes Galantes 7’00 Intermission 20’00

Cao Can, violin 1 Jin Li, violin 2 Zhang Si Jing, violin 3 Yeo Teow Meng, violin 4 Wang Yan, cello

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Concerto Grosso in B-flat major, Op. 3 No. 1 10’00

There will be a post-concert autograph session at the stalls foyer.

Go green. Digital programme booklets are available on www.sso.org.sg.

Scan the QR code in the foyer to view a copy.

ANTONIO VIVALDI Concerto for Four Violins and Cello in B minor, RV.580 9’00

PETER HANSON CONDUCTOR /VIOLIN

Peter has played with both modern and period instrument groups throughout his career: the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, and as concertmaster of the Philharmonia Orchestra under Mtislav Rostropovich. He was concertmaster for Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert for seven years, has played with Sir Roger Norrington, the Academy of Ancient Music and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. During this time, a vision of a new type of string quartet emerged and the Eroica Quartet was formed with colleagues from the world of period instrument performance.

Recordings of all the Mendelssohn quartets, all the Schumann quartets and various Beethoven quartets soon followed on the Harmonia Mundi label. In February 2012, their recordings of the Ravel and Debussy quartets were released along with a recording of the un-edited version of Mendelssohn’s String Octet. These recordings are available online on Resonus Classics.

Peter has been the concertmaster for Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique (ORR) for over 25 years, appearing on nearly all their recordings and concerts. In November 2012, he was the concertmaster soloist for a European tour with Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. The US leg of the tour saw them perform in Carnegie Hall, New York and in California. In October 2013, they toured Switzerland and its neighbouring countries. The ORR performed Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust during the 2017 BBC Proms.

Peter has also conducted the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Kymi Sinfonia from Finland and Orquesta da Camera near Barcelona.

After a televised BBC Proms concert in 2014, he toured Spain, Hungary, Taiwan and Japan; followed by Mexico and Columbia, then Holland, France and Switzerland in 2015. He has also been guest concertmaster for the Luxembourg Philharmonic, and for a Beethoven and Gade project with Concerto Copenhagen and Lars Ulrik Mortensen.

As a director of music, he has a permanent place in the Carmel Bach Festival in California, participating in chamber music concerts, directing two string orchestra concerts and being concertmaster for most of the festival orchestra concerts.

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FELICIA TEO SOPRANO

Soprano Felicia Teo is a distinguished artist with a voice of very distinctive colour. Her recent 2018 engagements include the lead role of Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, presented at the Esplanade Concourse by Opera Lab, as well as the soprano soloist in Dvorák’s Stabat Mater with the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra. ˇ Felicia made her US debut with New York City Opera as Suor Dolcina in Puccini’s Suor Angelica. In May 2017, she made her Singapore Lyric Opera debut as Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. She has also performed as soloist with the International Vocal Art Institute, Esplanade’s A Tapestry of Sacred Music, in Dick Lee’s Nyonya Journey and New Opera Singapore. Felicia has won top prizes in the Trinity Vocal Competition and collaborated with many artists and coaches. She received her Master’s Degree at Manhattan School of Music and is a recipient of the 2018 Richard Wagner Stipendien.

Her upcoming engagements include Mozart’s Il re pastore in June 2018 with Singapore’s newest opera company, The Opera People.

KONG ZHAO HUI VIOLIN

Kong Zhao Hui has played in many concert halls around Asia, Europe, USA and Australia. Kong started learning violin with his father at age of five and entered China’s Central Conservatory of Music at eleven. As a student, he played for legendary violinists Menuhin, Stern and Neaman and received praise for his outstanding performances. Upon graduation, he was invited to teach in the Conservatory and held the position of Concertmaster of the Beijing Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and Guest Concertmaster of the China Broadcasting Orchestra.

Kong was invited by the Governor of Macau to take part in the First International Music Festival of Macau in 1987, where he played The Butterfly Lovers in a joint concert with Silva Pereira and the China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra. Currently Kong holds the position of Associate Concertmaster of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and is the Guest Concertmaster of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. He plays a 1723 Grancino Giovanni generously loaned by Mr and Mrs Rin Kei Mei.

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MICHAEL LOH VIOLIN

Michael Loh has been with the SSO since 1990 and is now Associate Principal of the Second Violins. He was born in Kuala Lumpur and started studies on the violin at the age of nine. After obtaining his Performer’s Diploma, he left for Germany to study with Professor Igor Ozim at the Music University of Cologne. Upon graduation Loh worked with the Beisel Ensemble and the Rhine Chamber Orchestra. In 1983 Loh was a prize-winner of the Junior Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in Folkstone, Kent, United Kingdom. Besides the violin his other love is pool billiards. He was the 1990 Northrhine Westphalian state champion in 8-ball, and still plays competitively.

Loh also works out regularly at the gym as he believes that one has to be physically fit to have the mental alertness required of a performer.

CAO CAN VIOLIN

Cao Can has been a First Violin with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 2011. She started learning the violin at the age of five, and in 1999, was admitted to the Affiliated Middle School of Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In 2005, Cao received a full scholarship from the National University of Singapore to further her studies at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Zuo Jun. Cao participated in the Houston Festival, the Pacific Music Festival, and served as the Concertmaster. In 2009, Cao was awarded the Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance. In 2011, she obtained the Graduate Diploma in Music Performance and became an assistant teacher in the Zuo Jun studio.

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THE GLORY OF BAROQUE

JIN LI VIOLIN

Born into a musical family in Guangzhou, Jin Li started learning the violin at the age of five. In 1980, he was selected by Yehudi Menuhin to study music in England under the tutelage of Menuhin himself and David Takeno. During his four years at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Jin was granted a scholarship and gave many concerts throughout England as well as interviews on BBC television. At the age of 20, he went to Indiana, USA, to further his studies with world renowned violinist Josef Gingold.

In 1985, Jin made his American debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Later that year, he was invited to appear with Yehudi Menuhin and the NHK Symphony Orchestra at the commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the United Nations televised worldwide. He has appeared as a soloist with the Central Philharmonic Orchestra of Beijing, the Leeds Youth Orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and has performed extensively around the world.

Jin is currently a First Violin with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

XU JUE YI VIOLIN

Xu Jue Yi has performed regularly in China and Singapore as a soloist and chamber musician. Xu was appointed Concertmaster of the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra where she worked with Maestro Riccardo Muti and the Concertmaster of Vienna Philharmonic in July 2007, and was invited back to join their 2008 season. She was a prize winner in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concerto Competition in 2006. Her experience in international competitions include participating in the 9th Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in Helsinki, Finland in 2005 and the 51st Niccolò Paganini Violin Competition in Genova, Italy in 2006.

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YE LIN VIOLIN

SSO violinist Ye Lin graduated from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Singapore in 2007, where she studied with Qian Zhou. A National Arts Council Conservatory music scholar, she won the First Prize in the Violin Open Category of the 2005 Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition and at the First Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concerto Competition in 2004. Ye Lin started learning the violin when she was five. From 1991 to 2000 she studied at the primary and middle schools attached to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She was a member of the Asian Youth Orchestra from 2001 to 2002.

In 2003 she was awarded the Diploma in Music by the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. In 2006 she was selected to study with Victor Danchenko at the Peabody Institute at John Hopkins University under an exchange programme.

YEO TEOW MENG VIOLIN

Born in Singapore, Yeo Teow Meng commenced studies on the violin at the age of eight. Awarded a scholarship by the Public Service Commission (Singapore) in 1982, he furthered his studies with Lyndall Hendrickson and Gunnar Crantz in Adelaide at the South Australian College of Advanced Education. Upon graduation he worked with the State Opera of South Australia as well as various chambers groups and has been with the SSO since 1986. An avid photographer, he indulges in photography and also enjoys reading in his leisure.

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ZHANG SI JING VIOLIN

Zhang Si Jing started her violin studies in Shanghai at the age of 5 before she moved to Japan. After graduating from the Tokyo National University of Music and Arts, she furthered her violin studies at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in the UK, where she excelled in her studies and won several prizes, including the prestigious Paganini Prize and the Dianne Bolton Prize. She was also a recipient of the Norman George Violin Scholarship and Haden Freeman Bursary. Zhang has performed with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, HallĂŠ Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, Opera North Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2007 Zhang joined the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

She is grateful to her violin mentors Shouyi Yuan, Noriko Kitagaki, Yoko Seto, Takaya Urakawa, Teiko Maehashi and Yuri Torchinsky.

She has found joy not just through her numerous collaborations with renowned conductors and musicians but also in her passion educating young musicians. She strongly believes that passing her skills and knowledge to younger generations is one of the most important missions as an accomplished violinist. Zhang plays on the Santo Seraphin 1745 from the Rin Collection.

GUO HAO CELLO

Currently the Third Chair of the SSO cello section, Guo Hao’s teachers include his brother, Guo Qu, as well as Yu Ming-Qing and Alexander Baillie. He is a graduate of the College of Arts in Bremen, Germany and Central Conservatory in Beijing, China. As soloist he has appeared with the Staatstheater Oldenburg, the Theater Nordhausen/ Loh-Orchester Sondershausen and the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra. He has performed in the Marktoberdorf International Music Festival in Germany. Guo Hao was Principal Cellist with the China Youth Symphony Orchestra, Guest Principal Cellist with the Staatstheater Oldenburg, and was a member of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. He has participated in masterclasses with Anner Bylsma, Wolfgang Boettcher, Boris Pergamenschikow and George Faust. He plays on the Matteo Goffriller of 1699 on generous loan from the Rin Collection.

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WANG YAN CELLO

Born in Beijing, Wang Yan began her cello studies at the age of nine and graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in 1985.

Upon graduation she auditioned successfully for the position of Principal Cello with the China Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra.

Wang Yan has been with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 1993, and has been a cellist with the Feng Trio and the Jade Quartet since 2001.

WANG ZIHAO CELLO

Born in Jilin, China, Wang Zihao started to play the cello at the age of four. At 13 he was admitted to the middle school of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he studied with Na Mula.

With his outstanding accomplishments, he won the outstanding professional award at the Conservatory.

Wang was Principal Cellist of the China Youth Symphony Orchestra.

For three consecutive years, he was admitted to the Morningside Music Bridge International Academy in Canada, where he won the First Prize in the Concerto Competition and Etude Competition with a published CD recording. As a result, he was invited to perform with the Symphony Orchestra of Gdan’sk in Poland. Wang recently graduated from Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music where he studied under Qin Li-Wei and won the First Prize of the Concerto Competition. He plays on an 1896 Muller Joseph on generous loan from the Rin Collection.

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MUSICIANS

VIOLIN Cao Can Chan Yoong-Han Duan Yu Ling Gu Wen Li Jin Li Kong Zhao Hui Nikolai Koval Hai-Won Kwok Cindy Lee Lee Shi Mei Michael Loh Chikako Sasaki Margit Saur Shao Tao Tao Sui Jing Jing Karen Tan Ikuko Takahashi Wei Zhe Wu Man Yun Xu Jue Yi Ye Lin Yeo Teow Meng Yin Shu Zhan Zhang Si Jing

THE GLORY OF BAROQUE

VIOLA Gu Bing Jie Guan Qi Marietta Ku Luo Biao Julia Park Shui Bing Tan Wee-Hsin Janice Tsai Wang Dan Dan Yang Shi Li

FLUTE Evgueni Brokmiller Miao Shanshan

CELLO Chan Wei Shing Guo Hao Song Woon Teng Wang Yan Wang Zihao Wu Dai Dai Zhao Yu Er

HARPSICHORD Gerald Lim

OBOE Rachel Walker Elaine Yeo BASSOON Christoph Wichert Zhao Ying Xue

BASS Olga Alexandrova Jacek Mirucki Wang Xu Yang Zheng Yi Karen Yeo

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PROGRAMME NOTES

18 MAY

When many think of ‘Baroque music’, they think of Johann Sebastian Bach. While Bach was one of the masters, the Baroque is a more diverse and far broader genre than just the High Baroque which is often taken as the standard. In these two programmes, we explore some unexpected corners of the Baroque style.

GIOVANNI GABRIELI (c.1554/57 - 1612) Canzon XVI à 12, Ch.209

5’00

Giovanni Gabrieli was perhaps the flashiest of Venetian composers before Vivaldi, and his Canzon XVI exemplifies this. Written for 12 parts divided into three choirs, it is a perfect example of the polychoral style which was developed in Venice. While the intricacy of the individual lines shows a clear inheritance from Renaissance polyphony, the call-and-answer of the cori spezzati (split choirs) was a natural consequence of St Mark’s Cathedral which allowed instrumental forces to be placed in various galleries and balconies.

HEINRICH IGNAZ FRANZ VON BIBER (1644 – 1704) Battalia à 10 “Battle Symphony”

8’00

1. Sonata 2. Allegro: Die liederliche Gesellschaft von allerley Humor 3. Presto 4. Der Mars 5. Presto 6. Aria 7. Die Schlacht 8. Adagio. Lamento der Verwundten Musquetirer Biber’s Battalia à 10 depicts a battle in a series of movements for string orchestra. Biber was considered the foremost violin virtuoso of his time, and perhaps the most important Germanic composer for violin before Bach. His Battalia contains instructions for several special effects to imitate cannon shots, snare drums, and fifes, and also incorporates folksongs of German and Bohemian origin to represent soldiers of different nationalities. In some ways, this piece is an ancestor of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

ALESSANDRO STRADELL A (1639 – 1682) Overture to La forza delle stelle

6’00

Stradella’s overture to his serenata La forza delle stelle, appropriately enough for an overture, is full of Italian drama. Stradella’s own life would have made for crackingly good 10

THE GLORY OF BAROQUE

HENRY PURCELL (1659 – 1695) Chacony in G minor, Z.730

18 MAY

opera, as he had numerous affairs, offended enough powerful figures to require leaving town at short notice multiple times, and be the target of two assassination attempts (the second of which was fatal).

7’00

While Purcell was English, his Chacony in G minor for three violins and continuo is essentially French in character. The chaconne, a dance based on a descending chord progression, was hugely popular in Baroque France, and French influence was fashionable in all the arts in Britain. It is instructive to compare Purcell’s treatment of three treble instruments above a ground bass with Pachelbel’s Canon in D, also for the same combination of instruments.

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685 – 1759) From Messiah: “Rejoice greatly” “Then shall the eyes of the blind” “He shall feed his flock”

11’00

Handel’s oratorio Messiah requires no introduction. The bouncy “Rejoice greatly” is perhaps one of the most virtuosic of the soprano arias in the oratorio, with its melismatic semiquaver runs and triplet trills. “Rejoice greatly” is in the da capo or ABA form, where the A section is followed by a B section in a contrasting mood and relative major/minor key, and the repeat of the A section brings a chance for the soloist to ornament and decorate the melodic material. This is followed by the secco recitative “Then shall the eyes of the blind”, and the aria “He shall feed his flock”. This aria is written in the form of a sweet pastoral sicilienne, evoking innocence, simplicity, and the Good Shepherd.

Aria Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is the righteous Saviour, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen.

Rejoice greatly. . . [da capo] (Zecharaiah 9: 9-10) Recitative Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.

(Isaiah 35: 5-6) Aria He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40: 11) 11

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Come unto Him, all ye that labour, come unto Him that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest.

Take his yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11: 28-29)

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685 – 1759) “Tornami a vagheggiar” from Alcina

10’00

“Tornami a vagheggiar” from the opera Alcina is another example of a da capo aria.

Handel’s music for this aria is ravishingly seductive, and the runs are show-stoppingly difficult, an example of Handel’s very Italianate operatic writing at its best. The music however is never divorced from the text, which basically says “Come back soon to court me – I love only you. I’ll never betray you!”

Tornami a vagheggiar, te solo vuol’ amar quest’ anima fedel, caro, mio bene, caro!

Return to me to languish, this faithful heart Only wants to love you, My dear, my good one, my dear!

Già ti donai il mio cor: fido sarà il mio amor; mai ti sarò crudel, cara mia spene.

Already I gave you my heart: I trust you will be my love; but you will be too cruel, my dear hope.

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678 – 1741) Concerto for Two Violins in A minor, RV.522 (No. 8 from L’estro armonico, Op.3)

12’00

1. Allegro 2. Larghetto e spiritoso 3. Allegro Continuing in the Italian style, we come to Vivaldi, whose Concerto in A minor for two violins, strings, and basso continuo, perfectly encapsulates the sunshine of Italian summers sparkling in the reflection of the Venetian lagoon. The opening Allegro has a powerful and spiraling opening theme for the ripieno followed by driving episodes for the two soloists playing separately and in imitation. The central Larghetto e spiritoso is close to a sarabande in its march-like ripieno chord sequence and close to a passacaglia

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THE GLORY OF BAROQUE

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685 – 1759) Concerto Grosso in G major, Op. 6 No. 1

18 MAY

in its lyrical episodes for the two soloists. The closing Allegro opens with a fast and brilliant imitative sequence for the ripieno leading to a strong cadence. The sequence functions as a theme, alternating for the rest of the movement with glinting soloists playing off each other straight through to the final big cadence.

12’00

1. A tempo giusto 2. Allegro 3. Adagio 4. Allegro 5. Allegro We end with the Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 1 by Handel, who represents in many ways the international character of the Baroque style - being a German composer writing Italian music in the English capital. A concerto grosso is a suite in multiple movements for orchestra. The first movement is a solemn and majestic conversation between the orchestra and the violins. This is followed by a lively Allegro where unpredictability keeps interest going. The third movement is a dignified Adagio with pseudo-fugal imitative passages.

The fourth movement is fugal, but with surprising alternating episodes. The final movement is the traditional lively gigue with its origins in the English jig, and echoing responses between soloists and orchestra.

Programme notes by Edward Yong

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PROGRAMME NOTES

19 MAY

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678 – 1741) Concerto for Strings in G minor, RV.157

8’00

1. Allegro 2. Largo 3. Allegro The music of the Italian composer-priest Antonio Vivaldi needs no introduction, and his concertos for solo instrument and strings (e.g. The Four Seasons) are loved by many.

What is not so well known are his concerti for string orchestra. The Concerto for Strings in G minor RV.157, comes from a manuscript hand-copied by Vivaldi’s father, and now preserved in the Paris Conservatoire. Possibly commissioned by a French patron, the concerto is full of dotted rhythms (inegal), a hallmark of the French style. The first movement is based on a repeated bass figure while the violins dialogue over the persistent bass. The slow movement is based on a dotted fugal theme which builds up a harmonic web of dissonance and unease, followed by a final jazzy and syncopated movement reminisent of the finale from Summer.

ARCANGELO CORELLI (1653 – 1713) Concerto Grosso in D major, Op. 6 No. 1

12’00

1. Largo – Allegro 2. Largo – Allegro 3. Largo 4. Allegro 5. Allegro Corelli’s Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 1 in D major is also a concerto for orchestra, but properly Italian in style. The slow introduction for larger orchestra leads into an Allegro for a smaller group. Typically for Corelli, the busy bass line and imitative violins make for a sparkling effect full of contrasts. The middle Largo movement is pensive and elegant, scored for a reduced ensemble. The concluding Allegro is fugal and frantic, making for a satisfying end.

JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU (1683 – 1764) “Entrée de Polymnie” from Les Boréades “Entrée: Les Sauvages” and “Tendre Amour” from Les Indes Galantes

6’00 7’00

Rameau is not a name well-known beyond lovers of French Baroque music, but his 1722 Treatise on Harmony was a revolution in music theory, forming the foundation 14

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19 MAY

for instruction in Western music that persists to this day. He wrote in all the genres of French music, but eventually dedicated himself to operas. His Les Boréades is an opera that was never performed in Rameau’s lifetime for unknown reasons, but the Paris Opéra burning down in the month of rehearsals may have been a contributing factor. The gentle and melancholic Entrée de Polymnie takes place at the start of Act IV, and makes for a haunting, almost mournful beginning.

Rameau’s opera Les Indes Galantes (“The Amorous Indies”) rather unusually, instead of a story told over several acts, is a collection of short one-act stories of love among ‘exotic’ peoples: Turks, Incas of Peru, Native Americans, and Persians. Entrée: Les Sauvages begins an act set in an American forest grove, between the French and Spanish colonies, accompanying the entry of Native Americans about to hold a peace pipe ceremony. This piece, one of Rameau’s catchiest melodies, was directly inspired by the 1725 visit of Chief Agapit Chicagou of the Mitchigamea and five other chiefs to Paris, sponsored by the French settlers of Illinois. These chiefs met with King Louis XV and Chicagou pledged allegiance to the French crown, after which they danced three dances in the Théâtre-Italien.

One of Rameau’s most ravishing melodies is the quartet Tendre Amour (“Tender love”), which concludes the Act III Les fleurs (“The Flowers”). The gentle theme builds up voice by voice, like layers of shimmery gauze, weaving around each other – celebrating the happy resolution of problems in love as the Persian characters celebrate the Festival of Flowers.

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678 – 1741) Concerto for Four Violins and Cello in B minor, RV.580 (No. 10 from L’estro armonico Op. 3)

9’00

1. Allegro 2. Largo 3. Larghetto - Adagio - Largo - Allegro Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins in B minor, RV.580, comes from his collection L’estro armonico (loosely translated as “The Harmonic Inspiration”), published in Amsterdam in 1711. This collection was a huge hit in Europe, with twenty reprintings by the original publisher alone within a space of some 30 years, to say nothing of multiple pirated editions in an age before copyright laws existed. The four solo lines are entirely independent of each other and are of equal difficulty. The technical requirements are all the more astonishing when one remembers that his instrumental music was most likely originally written not for professional musicians, but for the young ladies of the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage-home where Vivaldi was chaplain and composer. This particular concerto has a curious afterlife story – it later received a rearrangement by Johann Sebastian Bach for four harpsichords and strings.

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PROGRAMME NOTES

19 MAY

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685 – 1759) Concerto Grosso in B-flat major, Op. 3 No. 1

10’00

1. Allegro 2. Largo 3. Vivace We end with the Concerto Grosso No. 1 in B-flat major by Handel, who represents in many ways the international character of the Baroque style – being a German composer writing Italian music in the English capital. A concerto grosso is a suite in multiple movements for orchestra. The opening movement is reworked from earlier vocal material (from his first oratorio Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno – “The Triumph of Time and Truth”).

The Largo contains imaginative recorder parts and is unusually long. The final Allegro is much shorter than one would expect and it is possible the form of this particular work may not reflect Handel’s final intentions, particularly since the final movement does not return to the home key of B-flat major, making for a rather asymmetrical work.

Programme notes by Edward Yong

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